Londoners Save Energy Via RE:NEW

Wondering what steps you can take to save water and energy at home? If you happen to live in one of 13 select boroughs of London, you’re in luck, as the city’s RE:NEW energy efficiency program has now been extended to Wandsworth, Croydon, Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Hounslow, increasing access to this free service funded through the office of the Mayor in the United Kingdom‘s capital.

The RE:NEW program started in the boroughs of Lewisham, Barking and Dagenham, Waltham Forest and Newham, with 1,742 homes having benefited from energy efficiency and water conservation measures. Housing association tenants in these areas have also received solar panels through the program.

image via Shutterstock

So far, the L&Q Housing Association and British Gas have partnered with RE:NEW to install solar panels on 1,500 housing association homes so far. In the coming months, solar power will become available to 22,500 more homes.

The program offers a customized energy-reducing devices and strategies for each home, which are installed by a trained assessor for free, including low energy light bulbs, radiator panels and stand-by switches. (Some water saving measures are also available free of charge through the program.) More substantial measures, such as loft and cavity wall insulation, will be offered “where appropriate” at a rate subsidized for those able to pay and free for those on qualifying benefits helping to address fuel poverty. More information on the program is available online.

Susan DeFreitas has covered all manner of green technology for EarthTechling since 2009. She is a graduate of Prescott College for the Liberal Arts and the Environment, and has a background in marketing green businesses. Her work on green living has been featured in Yes! Magazine, the Utne Reader and Natural Home.